Nurse the Hate: Pat DiNizio

Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens died this week.  There has been a shift this year from “classic rock guys I listened to” dying to “guys I listened to that I thought were my age dying” in 2017.  I’m not talking about the beautiful death of the heroin overdose or romantic rock suicide.  Kurt is always young and tormented.  Morrison is perpetually the Apollonian Lizard King in leather pants.  Jimi is stoned.  Beautiful.  Immaculate.  Pat DiNizio died after a fall like a goddamn retiree.  Damn.   

I got hip to the Smithereens when I was a DJ.  A guy slid the “Especially For You” record to me promising I would like it.  I recall his words being “this is that garage rock Merseybeat shit you like”.  He was absolutely correct.  I played the shit out of that record on air.  The Smithereens were great, almost completely because of DiNizio’s fabulous writing.  The band was not a good looking group.  They looked like a bunch of Jersey guys that collected records.  If  they didn’t have material three times as good as anyone else, there is ZERO chance they’d get that record deal over a band with good haircuts.  The Smithereens had the material.

Most people became aware of the band from the “11” record with “Girl Like You” on it.  That received a lot of "modern rock" airplay, which really meant it was too good to ignore.  I preferred the first three records, though they were all good.  As an aside, I would especially recommend that readers check out "2011", a record that they recorded in 2011 that sounds like a companion piece to "11".  I assume no one heard that record when it came out, which is a crime.  The Smithereens didn't lose a step.  But it was the first three records that were constant companions to me.  When I hear any of those songs I can smell the apartment where I lived.  I can feel the way the sun would come in the living room window in the late afternoon.  I remember blasting those records getting ready to go out for the night when "going out" meant absolutely anything could happen that would change life as you knew it completely.  It was one of the few records my roommate and I agreed on. 

Pat DiNizio saw me play once.  It was unsettling to look out on stage and see my record collection staring at me.  I was friends with a guy that was his record rep in the region.  The Smithereens had played a radio showcase early, and the rep brought DiNizio out to see us and Dick Dale at Wilbert's.  I was really surprised by how curious he was about our band.  He was very complimentary and bought three of our seven inch singles.  I had assumed he was there to see Dick Dale, but he was much more interested in learning about the underground label scene that we were involved in at the time.  I tried to give him the copies but he insisted on paying for them.  He left in the middle of Dick Dale's set and thanked me for the records.  A couple weeks later he sent me a note telling me how much he liked one of them in particular.  I always appreciated that gesture. 

I would fall out of the Smithereens from time to time.  Then I would unexpectedly hear a song and have to dredge up the entire album, which would lead me to listening to additional albums.  There are so many songs there.  I have a few that I have direct associations in my mind.  "In A Lonely Place" ties me back to an autumn night with a pair of brown eyes.  "Time and Time Again" was playing when a party at our house was so out of control the cops came to break it up.  The officer walked up the porch and asked me "Do you know who lives here?".  No sir.  I have no idea.  Snare drum roll.  Time and Time again... Time and time again... When would I ever learn... guitar riff.  "Strangers When We Meet" was playing when I walked Joe Walsh to the bathroom to "get right" one Saturday morning that was more like really, really late Friday night.  "House We Used To Live In" live at the Agora on the "11" tour when every song ripped my guts out.  Damn that guy could write.

I feel like history won't give justice to the Smithereens.  They played great rock songs at a time when that had fallen from fashion.  They will likely get lumped into the "bands from the early 90s before grunge" dustbin.  That's not fair, but then again life is never fair.  I think to be remembered in life is a great accomplishment.  I don't know how many people will remember Pat DiNizio, but I will.  He was one of the greats of his era, frankly of any era.